Hilary Swank avoided the blows while training for boxing movie Million Dollar Baby but still ended up with a black eye - thanks to her little dog, Karoo.

The Oscar winner sparred professionally as part of her preparation to play a female boxer in the new Clint Eastwood film and felt proud of the fact that she avoided contact.

But then her 20-pound pooch left her nursing “a shiner” after a play session. Swank says:

I got it from my dog, we were playing tug-of-war, and when I bent down to kiss her, her skull banged me right there. Five months later, and I finally get taken by the dog.”

[Source]